Dreams (story 1 in my series)
by WafflesRtheBest
Summary: Sofia catches Cedric sleeping and he says her name in his sleep, what could it mean? A/U where Sofia is 18 & Cedric is 28. (this is my first attempt at Fan Fiction, so hopefully isn't awful!) Cedfia,Cedric x (Adult) Sofia story. (UPDATE: this will be the 1st story of a series - with 6 total.) PS: I do NOT own these characters (Disney does) Cover Art by: JessDeaton on DA
1. Chapter 1

A/U, Sofia is 18, Cedric is 28 (I always thought of him as 18 in the series, I didn't know everyone thought he was so much older, lol) This is my first piece of fan fiction, I hope you like it :) This is a Cedric X (OLDER) Sofia story. Critiques are welcome

1.

Sofia squirmed in her seat waiting for the speeches to end. Amber sat next to her new husband, Zander, and they were too preoccupied with each other to listen to Baileywick's overly sentimental speech. The castle steward, who was really more like family, must have had too much wine. He was gripping the glass and slurring his words.

"And then, when she was 14…" Baileywick had decided to share every 'cute Amber' story he knew.

"Baileywick," King Roland II interrupted, placing a hand on his dear friend's shoulder. "I think we should wrap up the speeches," he lowered his voice. "And prepare to bring out the wedding cake?"

Baileywick snapped to attention, and set his empty toasting glass down on the table.

"Right away, your majesty." His words were still slurred, but he walked back towards the kitchens with surprising grace. Sofia smiled and gripped the table. According to the overly-detailed wedding program Mr. Cedric would now entertain the guests while they waited for the cake cutting ceremony.

She had pestered the sorcerer to reveal what he had planned, but he had shooed her out of his workshop and refused to tell her. She bit her lip and sucked in her breath as Cedric made his entrance. He appeared in a cloud of smoke, but no one seemed to notice him. He glanced around, but everyone but Sofia was conversing amongst themselves. She frowned, but then got an idea. She stood, and the metal on metal scratch of her chair on the floor made all eyes turn to her.

With a flourish she scooped up her glass and a clean spoon, hitting them together so that a gentle 'ting, ting, ting' filled the room. Even Amber was looking at her, one eyebrow raised.

"Thank you all for your attention!" Sofia raised her glass. Even though she was no longer a little girl, and was a woman of 18, her voice still rang like a bell. "Now we have a _very_ special treat for you all! Let me introduce our very own Royal Sorcerer, Cedric the Sensational!" She pointed to Cedric, who had gone pale and then cleared his throat. Sofia sat down, smiling at Cedric. He blushed, but he closed his eyes and held his wand up high.

"Yes, well, um," He cleared his throat again. "_Mohit Flora,_" as flower petals erupted by the ceiling and began to float down, Cedric waved his wand again and the petals danced above the guests. Forming heart, and other romantic symbols. Sofia smiled as everyone gasped and marveled at the sight. She looked down from the flower show and watched Cedric, he looked tense, and was watching the petals. He was probably waiting for something to go wrong, but it had been awhile since one of his public spells had gone awry. Of course, there was always the occasional mishap in his workshop, usually because she had burst in without knocking to ask him a question or see what he was working on.

There were some trumpet noises, and Baileywick walked ahead of a large table being wheeled in. On that table was the tallest cake she had ever seen. The overall frosting was white, but there was a fancy gold trim of flowers. It was actually fairly modest, considering the bride, but Amber had said she didn't want anything to detract from her wedding gown.

While everyone in the room turned to watch the newly married couple head to the cake for the cutting ceremony Sofia turned to watch Cedric sulk from the room. The petals were gone, and he probably wanted to sneak away before the King requested more displays of magic. With strong hesitation she tore her eyes away and back to Princess Amber. She wanted to follow after Cedric, but knew it would be rude to leave the wedding, so she rested her chin in her hands and watched the happy couple.


	2. Chapter 2

2.

The next day the whole castle was quiet. Amber and Zander were on their honeymoon, her mom and dad had decided spend a day out in the country, and Prince James had returned to the kingdom of Wei-Ling to court Princess Jun. Luckily for Sofia, her father had declared the whole week a holiday in celebration of Amber's wedding, so while she was the only Royal in residence Baileywick would not have too much for her to address.

She hopped out of bed, the Amulet of Avalor bouncing against her chest, and she grabbed the nearest dress from her closet. A simple purple gown, of a darker shade than she had worn as a child, with a black satin trim.

The first thing she wanted to do today was tell Cedric how great his spell had been. She fussed over her hair, as her heart began to beat just a little faster. It had grown long, but was still quite wavy. She usually slept with it braided, and was now carefully pulling the strands loose. She brushed it to calm the curls, and checked over her appearance. Even though she was eager to get to Cedric's tower she wanted to make sure… what… that she looked ok? She frowned at her reflection. This level of primping was unlike her, but she shrugged it off and left her room.

When she passed through the gardens on her way to the sorcerer's tower a familiar voice called out her name.

"Sofia!" Clover hopped over, a carrot in each hand.

"Good morning, Clover." She smiled down at the rabbit, and her dear friend.

"You didn't happen to set aside any of the cake from the wedding did you?" he asked. His eyes were wide and his pink nose wiggled happily.

"Of Course! I set a plate by my window, I thought you'd go after it last night." Even though she was happy to talk to her good friend clover, she couldn't help but glance towards the hall that would lead her up to Cedric's workshop.

"What's wrong Sof?" Clover asked, sensing her eagerness.

"Oh, nothing Clover." She smiled at him, and bent down to scratch between his ears. "I just have some things to do, why don't you go help yourself to that cake? It was strawberry." She added, knowing that would entice him.

"Say no more, princess." He smiled and hopped away. She watched him go for a moment, and made a mental note to try to spend more time with him. The older she got, the less time she seemed to have for her animal friends. She frowned, thinking of how long it had been since she had spent any real time with Clover, or Robin and Mia. Now that the wedding preparations were over, maybe she could make more time for them. She nodded, making it a promise to herself, and continued onward to the stairs that led to Cedric.

The higher she climbed the giddier she felt. She could almost hear his groan when she would burst into the room, without knocking as usual. He should have never shown her where that key was hidden on that first day they had met. Though, she paused slowing, he had never bothered moving it, even after all this time. Shrugging and assuming it was merely because he hadn't thought of it, being as preoccupied with magic as he was. She reached his door, and burst into the workshop. A large smile, her arms towards the sky, but when she saw no sign of Cedric she stopped herself from shouting his name. She lowered her arms.

"Cedric?" she called. "Are you in your room?" She waited but no answer. The window was open, so not even Woodworm was around to tell her where his master was. She frowned, unsure if she should go down to his quarters. He could be asleep, or, she blushed, bathing. Of course if he was awake he would have heard her, she reminded herself.

After a few moments of debate she took a deep breath and decided to travel down to his room. Likely, he was asleep. Waking him would be rude, a small voice said, but there was a curious urge that moved her feet onward. What did it look like down there? She had never seen him in pajamas, he couldn't possibly sleep - . Her race burned and she cut her thoughts short. What did it matter how he slept? Why was she even thinking about him, sleeping… with nothing on…

She shook her head and took the steps down. Eventually she came to a massive room which served as his private residence. It was a mess, papers and books from his workshop had made their way down here. There were a few piles of clothes, and a large table with strange figures she didn't recognize. None of those things interested her, so she paid them little attention. Cedric was actually asleep, as she had suspected. He laid stretched out over his modest bed, the single blanket had slid partially on the floor exposing his chest. She gasped, taking slow steps towards him. Her cheeks burned, maybe her earlier thoughts about the way he slept weren't that far off after all?


	3. Chapter 3

Her heart was beating so hard, she was surprised that it wasn't waking Cedric. With every step she took, close to him, she tried to tell herself to turn around. She should wait until he was awake. She shouldn't be here now. But, she couldn't stop herself. Cedric had tattoos in a magical script on his shoulders and arms that she hadn't known about. She vaguely recognized the lettering, but didn't know what it said. His gray bangs, a permanent result from a prank played on him in sorcery school, obscured his face. She fought the urge to reach out and brush them away. His chest rose and fell gently in time with his breaths.

Even though she had intended to wake him, she wasn't so sure she could now. He was always so tired. She assumed that he slept little, or poorly. Frowning, she took a few more steps forward. Pulling the blanket back onto him wouldn't be too bad would it? She reached out for it, it was far scratchier than the soft ones in her room. As she began to lift it and slide it up his chest to cover it, he began to stir. She froze, eyes wide, terrified that he would wake up and find her in such an awkward position. But he merely turned to his side. She quickly pulled the blanket up to his shoulders, and began to turn but he uttered something that stopped her.

"Sofia," he said. She froze, assuming he had woken up. But he had only murmured her name in his sleep. She stared at him, waiting for something, though she didn't know what. She bit her lip, her whole body felt warm. She didn't know what to think of the feelings that were starting to fill her. A part of her wanted to wake the sleeping sorcerer, in ways that were most improper. She forced herself to walk back to the steps to his workshop. Her mind whirling at the fact that he had said _her_ name while he slept. Was he dreaming of her, and if so what was happening in the dream?

She took one of the steps, but then Wormwood came swooping down the stairs, and when he saw her gave out loud cry of surprise.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Wormwood demanded. But to someone without the Amulet of Avalor it came out as a series of loud chips and caws. Before she could explain, or attempt to quiet the raven, a groan sounded from behind her. She tensed and turned around to see Cedric sitting up on his bed, rubbing his eyes.

"What are you squawking about… Princess Sofia?"

"Hi," she said, face red. Sofia gave a small awkward wave.

"Wh-What are you doing here?" he said. He looked down, and Sofia looked down. He was wearing black shorts, which she noticed before he jerked the blanket to cover himself.

"I, well, uh," She clasped her hands in front of her. She couldn't remember why she had come to see him! She laughed nervously and watched Wormwood fly over to a perch. "I'll just be going." She turned and rushed up the stairs. Once in his workshop she began to sprint, and didn't stop until she was back in her bedroom. She shut the door and leaned against it, covering her face and sliding to the floor.

"That was so dumb," Sofia said to herself.

"What's wrong Sofia?" Clover asked.

Sofia looked up and saw her friends Clover, Robin and Mia snacking on the cake she had snuck them.

"I went to see Cedric," she started

"So did he do something dumb?" he asked through a mouthful of strawberry wedding cake.

"No, when I went into his workshop he wasn't there, so I thought I'd check to see if he was down in his room."

"And then he did something dumb?" Clover asked.

"Stop interrupting her, Clover" Robin scolded.

"Yeah, let her finish," Mia added.

"He was asleep." Sofia cut in, before they could begin bickering. "And, then Wormwood came in and woke him up, and I guess, I don't know." She buried her head in her hands. "It was just so awkward."

"That doesn't sound too bad." Clover said.

"He said my name in his sleep." It slipped out before she really thought about it.

"Ooh, why do you think he did that?" Mia asked.

"Probably because he was dreaming about her." Robin answered.

Sofia groaned, "He asked me why I was there and I just ran away."

"Why'd you do that?" Clover asked before taking another large bite of the cake.

"I don't know, I was…" she trailed off and the image of his bare chest came into her mind. She could feel her cheeks heat up, but it was something else too. There was a small thrill about seeing him that way, and hearing him say her name while he slept. If he had been dreaming about her, what had it been about? She had always admired him, and considered him a friend. And while she was sure that he had grown fond of her, he still acted like she was a nuisance most of the time. But if he was dreaming about her, maybe he thought about her, too. She bit her lip, what did she think about him?

"Are you alright, Sof?" Clover asked.

"I think I know what's going on," Mia said.

"You do?" Sofia squeaked. It was just now dawning on her. She had suffered from crushes before, and she was familiar with the butterflies and the sweaty palms. She just never thought she would develop those feeling for… Mr. Cedric.

"Yeah, you didn't save him any cake." Mia said, causing Sofia to giggle.


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks for the reviews and follows :D here is the next chapter, I'll probably have another one up tonight. This story may become a bit longer than I had anticipated, though I could just write a sequel instead... ok, I'm rambling. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

4.

She had convinced her friends that nothing was wrong, and after they finished off the wedding cake they left. Now, Sofia was alone, and her mind was racing. She was torn between going to see Cedric, and explaining that she had only been there to tell him what a good show he had put on at Amber's wedding reception, or hiding in her room for the rest of the day. She looked down at her Amulet, wishing a Princess would appear to give her advice, but knowing they only did that when she was in real trouble.

"Come on, Sofia." She said to herself. She stood up and walked to the door. Apologizing to Cedric seemed the right thing to do, after she thought about it. She shouldn't have been in his private quarters. And she really did want to tell him how great his magic had been at the reception. As she made her way through the castle her stomach grumbled. She couldn't help but laugh at herself, in all the earlier excitement she had skipped breakfast, and it was lunchtime.

Since she had already told Baileywick that formal meals wouldn't be necessary for just her, she turned and headed toward the kitchens. When she arrived, a great idea occurred to her, so she requested a small picnic lunch for two. Cedric never seemed to leave his workshop, so she thought a good way to apologize would be to ask him to join her for a picnic lunch in the gardens. They happily handed her a basket with sandwiches, salad, and water. After a moment of debate, she asked them to add some of the leftover wedding cake, after all Mia had been right. Cedric probably hadn't gotten to eat any of it last night.

Butterflies danced in her stomach as she made her way towards Cedric's tower. Even though she now knew of her budding crush on the sorcerer, _he_ couldn't possibly know, she reasoned. So why was she still so nervous? By the time she reached his door her palms had gotten so sweaty that she had to wipe them off on her gown so she could hold the basket properly. She set it down and raised her hand to knock, but stopped.

She tried to will herself to knock. But what if he just shooed her away? Before she could work up the courage to knock the door flew open and she was face to face with Cedric. She hoped she wasn't blushing too obviously, and lowered her hand.

"Princess, uh, Sofia,"

"Mr. Cedric! I was just coming to see you."

"You-you were?" he asked.

"Yeah, I wanted to apologize for earlier." She smiled and lifted the basket up to show him. "I had a picnic lunch made for us." She lowered the basket, and before she got carried away, added, "I'm really sorry about earlier, I uh, shouldn't have just let myself in like that." She looked down at his feet as she spoke, suddenly unable to get the image of his bare chest out of her mind.

"Oh, uh, it's alright. But, I don't really have time for a picnic," he said. She looked back up at him, and frowned.

"Oh, are you really sure? You work so hard, Mr. Cedric, you deserve to take more breaks." She held her breath. He looked down at the basket she was clutching in her hands and then back into her eyes. He let out an exaggerated sigh and shrugged.

"Oh, all right. You can be such a pest, but since I _was_ on my way to get lunch anyway…" he trailed off and crossed his arms.

"Great!" Sofia grabbed his hand and led him back down the steps. In her excitement she didn't even realize that she was holding his hand until she reached the bottom of the stairs. She released it hesitantly, and smiled back at him, hoping to cover up any awkwardness. "I thought we could eat in my secret garden." He shrugged and continued to follow her. She fondly remembered the time he had worn a yellow ribbon on his head at her big tea party when she had been younger. It made her laugh, which seemed to annoy Cedric.

"What is so funny?" he demanded.

"Oh, nothing…" she said. Reminding him of the incident would only irritate him more.


	5. Chapter 5

**Here is the next little chapter, I'm hoping to finish this tonight :) I even have a sequel in mind.**

5.

When they arrived to her special spot she laid out a blanket while Cedric fiddled with his wand. She sat down and opened the basket, and began setting out the food.

"Come sit down next to me," she said.

"Alright…" he sat down and grabbed a sandwich.

"So, about earlier," Sofia started. Cedric choked on his sandwich, he coughed a few times and Sofia handed him a water bottle. "Are you alright?" Cedric drank some water and nodded.

He cleared his throat a few times, and then said, "You were, um, saying?"

"Oh, right." She said, relaxing. "Earlier." She smiled. "I wanted to tell you how great you were last night."

Cedric shrugged and turned away. "I thought you'd like the flower show," he said.

"When are you going to teach me that spell? It was fantastic!" she took a few bites of her sandwich. She'd always loved magic, even if she wasn't that good at it. Cedric had helped her on many school assignments over the years, and now that school was over she realized how much she missed it.

"I suppose I could teach it to you sometime, when I'm not busy," he quickly added.

"That would be great," she said. She reached into the basket and pulled out the leftover cake slices. "I thought you'd like some of the cake."

"Old cake," he sneered at it. "Sounds great, but I really need to get back to work." He stood up and dusted off his robes. Sofia set the cake back into the basket. She didn't want him to leave so soon, and it was becoming clear that he didn't return her affections. She looked down at her lap, and brushed away a few crumbs.

"Ok," she said, sounding defeated.

"Actually," he said. "I could probably use some help, if you aren't busy."

"You want me to help you?" Sofia perked up at once.

"You've helped me plenty of times." He pointed out. Sofia gathered up the blanket and basket and followed Cedric as he left the garden. "You would have come to see what I was working on anyway."

"True," Sofia smiled and nudged him as they walked. Cedric smiled down at her, but then cleared his throat and looked away.

While they made their way back to the workshop, Sofia tried to think of ways to find out what exactly Cedric thought about her. He had said her name in his sleep, that had to mean something, didn't it? She watched Cedric gather ingredients for his potion and helped where she could.

"So what will this potion do?" Sofia asked, she handed him a vial of griffin feathers.

His eyes lit up as he explained, "When I pour it on those two mirrors," he pointed at the two large mirrors he had propped up on one side of his workshop. "It'll enchant them into portals that I can travel through. I go in one, and come out the other." He twirled his wand, grinning at her.

"That sounds like it would be really handy," Sofia said.

"Hand me those matches," he said. Sofia nodded and grabbed the small box of matches, when she held them out to Cedric their fingers touched. She looked to see if Cedric had noticed, but he didn't seem to.

"What else can I do?" She asked.

"Hold on," he lit a match and started a small fire under his cauldron. He tossed the feathers into the concoction and took a step back, watching eagerly. It bubbled and started to smoke. Then it turned black.

"Is it supposed to do that?" Sofia asked.

"No…" He started to step towards the cauldron, but it began to hiss like a tea kettle. "Uh oh." He turned around and grabbed Sofia's arm. He pulled her down to the floor with him, just in time to escape an explosion. A hot black tar-like substance coated everything in the room.

"Are you alright Princess Sofia?" Cedric asked.

"I think so," she winced at the small splatters that had gotten on her, but Cedric had been able to shield her from most of it. She reached up to a hot spot on her neck, and noticed some of the goop had gotten onto her Amulet. "Oh no!"

"What?" Cedric asked, removing his ruined purple robe. Sofia almost forgot was she was about to say, but quickly remembered.

"My Amulet," she held it out for him to see. His eyes widened slightly. She tried to pick off the sticky substance, but it wasn't budging. "I can't get it off."

"Don't worry Princess," He grabbed a small bucket and filled it with water. He waved his wand over it and the water turned a bright sparkling blue. "I'll, uh, you'll need to give me your Amulet." He said the words slowly, and held out his hand. Sofia frowned, she hated taking the Amulet off, but she wanted to get the sticky gunk off of it. After a few more moments of hesitation she unclasped it and handed it over.


	6. Chapter 6

**Thanks everyone for the positive comments! (and favs and follows) They help me keep going :) I hope you guys like the next chapter**

6.

He held the Amulet in his hand for a moment, staring down at it. Sofia absently rubbed the spot on her chest where the Amulet usually rested. Cedric squeezed his eyes shut and plunged the Amulet into the water. Then he lifted it out of the bucket and dramatically held it out to her.

"T-t-take it." He stuttered, and looked away. Sofia raised her eyebrow, but took it from him and re-clasped it around her neck. He covered his eyes and groaned.

"Are you ok, Mr. Cedric?" she asked.

"You should probably go, so I can clean this place up." He spoke through his hands, still not looking at her.

"Alright," she said slowly. She was so happy that her Amulet wasn't ruined that she grabbed his hand. He looked at her, eyebrows raised. She leaned in, and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you Mr. Cedric!" She pulled away and waved before leaving. He touched his cheek where she had kissed him and waved back.

She shut the door behind her and skipped down the steps. It had been an impulse, but she had kissed him! She couldn't believe it. When she reached the bottom of the stairs she squealed. Her elation was dampened a little by the fact that she hadn't been able to tell if he returned her feelings. He had protected her from the brunt of the explosion, and maybe that meant something.

The gown she was wearing was probably ruined, unless Cedric could use the magic water on it. She went to her room, changed, and then went back out to the gardens to sketch. She sat down next to the fountain and began to doodle, but she couldn't concentrate. She found herself thinking about Cedric, and wondering if she should just tell him how she felt.

Eventually she gave up on sketching, and got some dinner from the kitchens. After she finished eating she went back to her bedroom and changed into a nightgown. She wasn't tired, she was too busy replaying what had happened earlier with Cedric and analyzing everything he had said. A loud banging noise hit her bedroom door, causing her to jump.

"Merlin's Mushrooms!" A familiar voice was behind the door. She smoothed her hair down and rushed to open the door. She took a deep breath.

"Cedric? Is that you?" She asked, peeking out of her door. Cedric was in the hallway struggling to carry one of the large mirrors that had been in his workshop. She gasped and opened her door wider.

"I finished the spell," He said from behind the mirror. "I thought I could show you."

"That's great Mr. Cedric! Come on in." She reached out to help him carry the mirror into her room and set it against the wall. Instead of her reflection the mirror held an image of the inside of Cedric's workshop. Cedric was leaning on his knees and trying to catch his breath.

"Well, you-" he looked up at her and stopped. "You're wearing a nightgown. Um, I can come back later." He started to leave.

"No! it's ok. Show me the spell!" she said, stopping him.

"Oh, okay then." His voice cracked. He pulled out a wand and waved it at the mirror. The image started to ripple. "Now, if I step through I'll be in my workshop." He demonstrated by walking into the image, and then he turned back around to proudly smile at her. He started to say something, but she could only see his lips moving, not hear him. She smiled and shook her head, pointing at her ear. He lifted a finger and nodded. He started to walk back through but smacked into the mirror. Sofia covered her mouth to stifle a laugh, and watched him back up and wave his wand like he had before. This time he came into her room without incident.

"There, you see. It works." He stood in front of her and rocked back on his heels.

"It's amazing. Can I try?" she asked.

"Oh, well, I don't see why not." He waved the wand again. "Go on, step through."

She stepped through the mirror, and laughed at the funny sensation it caused. It worked; she was in Cedric's workshop.

"Wow," she turned around to see Cedric standing in her bedroom. Her chest suddenly felt tight. He waved the wand and stepped through mirror to join her.

"I just realized that you couldn't go back through without me."

"Without you?" she repeated, but she was looking up at him and not really listening to him.

"You didn't know the spell," he held up his wand, but had tilted his head slightly. "Are you feeling all right?" he asked.

"Why did you go to all the trouble to show me?" she asked.

"Um, you, well I thought…" he trailed off, and rubbed the back of his neck. "I just thought you'd want to see it."

"There was," she paused, "no other reason?"

"Like what?" he asked. "You always want to see my spells," he added defensively.

She couldn't think of what to say to that. She just wanted some hint about his feelings. He was so hard to read! "You said my name in your sleep." She blurted it out.


	7. Chapter 7

**Last Chapter! I'm going to plan out a sequel, and probably write it next weekend. :) (it is sort of a cliff hanger... i guess) Let me know how you liked my story, and any suggestions I should keep in mind for the next one. Thanks for reading, everyone!**

7.

"W-w-what?" Cedric said, his face turning a bright red.

"Were you dreaming about me?" Sofia asked.

"I don't know." He backed up a few steps.

"Do you ever dream about me?"

"Why are you asking me this?" he asked her.

Sofia sighed. Maybe he didn't have any romantic feelings for her. "Well, you said my name in your sleep, so it made me wonder." She looked down at her feet and tried to think of something else to say.

"Would it be a bad thing?" he asked.

"Would what?" Sofia looked back up at him, confused. When their eyes met he crossed his arms.

"If I dreamed about you," he said quietly. "I mean, it's normal and everything." He added.

"What are the dreams about?" Sofia asked, feeling the butterflies come alive in her stomach.

"Why do you care?" he countered.

Now it was her turn to be on the spot, she bit her lip. "I just wanted to know what you thought about me, I guess." She shrugged.

"I think that you're a Princess, and," he turned away to look at the door. "We probably shouldn't be having this conversation."

"Why not?" Sofia did not like where this conversation was heading.

"Because, you're a Princess, like I said, and I doubt your parents would approve of me," he gulped, "_thinking_ about you." He finally looked at her again, Sofia closed the gap between them.

"Is that your way of telling me that you do like me?" She asked, hopeful.

"I-I, that isn't what I said." He said, looking down at her. Even though she was fully grown, he was still slightly taller.

"Because, I like you." There. She said it.

"Well, of course, we've become pretty good friends-" he started to say, but she interrupted him with a groan. He was being so difficult. She decided that if he wasn't going to let her tell him, she would show him. She leaned in, and kissed him. Behind his lips, Cedric let out a short murmur of surprise. But, he kissed her back. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her against him. Sofia started to feel light headed, so she pulled away.

"Now do you understand?" she smiled at him, feeling warm. He was still holding her.

"Yeah," he said. "but," he tensed and pushed her away. "It doesn't change what I said earlier."

"What?"

"Your parents would kill me," he clarified. "They would never approve."

"You don't know that." Sofia said, wishing he would just hold her again.

"No, but it's a good guess." He looked nervously back at the mirror. "I should go get the one back in your room."

"Leave it." She said, grabbing his hand. "That way we can see each other whenever we want." She smiled and continued, "I'll convince my parents, and until then we can just keep it a secret."

"A secret?" he echoed.

"Well, if you want to. You still haven't said whether or not you like me." She pointed out.

"Oh," he smiled at her and grabbed her by the waist again. Sofia gasped as he pulled her in for another kiss. He ran one hand through her hair, keeping the other one at her side. After a moment he pulled away, smirking at her. "I like you, Sofia. A lot."

They kissed for a while before Sofia finally said goodbye. Cedric showed her how to work the mirror transport spell, and gave her one of his spare wands. She had her own wand, from school, but she liked having one of his. When she was back into her room she carefully moved the mirror to her closet, as Cedric had suggested, and covered it with a spare bed sheet. Then she danced around her bed, and quietly said his name. They agreed to spend the afternoon together tomorrow, under the guise that he was teaching her magic. Not that anyone would suspect otherwise, but it seemed to ease his mind. She laughed and fell onto her bed. Her lips still felt warm, she touched them and thought about the way he had looked at her. So he _did_ like her, that was now very obvious.

With a happy sigh she crawled into bed and buried herself under the covers. Tomorrow her parents would be home, and she'd talk to them. When they knew how strongly she felt, they'd give their blessing. It took quite a while for her to fall asleep, but when she did she dreamed of Cedric.


End file.
